Filament 38

Fractured (www.negativegain.com)

Aside from bad jokes about burning rivers and Zydrunas Ilgauskas's foot problems, few things have proved as enduring in Cleveland as its industrial scene. Though the genre has severely fallen off in most cities, here it has remained as strong as ever, and the debut from Filament 38 is further testament to the continuing vitality of Cleveland machine music. One of the more promising starts from a band of its kind in some time, Filament 38's premiere offering is equally aggro and ass-shaking. With frontman Ash snarling out dark, disembodied vocals over beats that throb like a migraine, this disc is loaded with standouts, among them the foreboding, funereal "Unconscious" and the brusque "Still Frame," which sounds like New Order after a couple of protein shakes. With Ministry's scorching new disc likely to ignite talk of industrial's return, Fractured is proof that in this town, it never left.